Packaging machine



March 3, 1959 RSEVENPIFER 5 PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filed April 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IuvENToR A prLQy;

March 3, 1959 R. SEVENPIFER 2,375,566

PACKAGING MACHINE Original Filea April 28, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I III Q 26 I as i MI I! Ir 4 In Vein/2 v I R 5e (En if March 3, 1959 R. VENPlFER 2,875,566

PACKAGING MACHINE I Original Filed April 28, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 iii HEP ZZIIIII 22 28 11v me 7 2 Ra S5 Seven/ ife United States Patent PACKAGING MACHINE Ross Sevenpifer, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, assignor to Polymer Corporation Limited, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, a corporation of Canada Original application April 28, 1953, Serial No. 351,623. Divided and this application March 10, 1954, Serial No. 415,316

1 Claim. (Cl. 53-'334) This invention relates to a method of enclosing resiliently deformable material, e. g. synthetic or natural rubher, in a container and to a machine particularly adapted to effect such a method.

In the well-known methods of canning solids and liquids it is customary to fill the container to or just below capacity, position the lid and crimp it in position by causing a crimping wheel to circumvent the stationary container and lid. In the canning of resiliently deformable solids this has been found unsatisfactory since such solids, in the course of storage at ambient temperatures or in the course of handling, have a tendency to settle or, in the case of rubber, to flow so as to displace air pockets throughout the contents and leave an appreciable air space between the material and the lid. This reduces the resistance of the containers to damage. This is particularly disadvantageous if light metal sheet is used in the walls of such containers since the metal itself lacks the necessary rigidity and support is lacking if the contents do not continuously occupy all or virtually all of the volume of the container. The air space which heretofore developed as a result of the gradual settling of the contents does not provide the necessary support and the light metal sides of the container were found to fold and frequently burst, on stacking or in the course of bouncing motion encountered in rail transportation, due mainly to the weight of the containers above it. s

It is the main object of the present invention to increase .the resistance to damage of containers filled with resiliently deformable material.

A further object of the invention is to permit the packaging of resiliently deformable materials, possessing cold flow or settling characteristics, in containers of lighter sheet than would be practical if the container were not filled to actual or near actual capacity and thus achieve economies in the unit cost of such containers.

A still further object of the invention is to achieve a reduction in container costs per unit weight of contents by increasing the quantity of material which may be packaged in a container of given cubic capacity.

The container lid closing machine of the present invention comprises'a revolvable container support memher, a ram, a bearing carried in said ram, a freely revolvable lid carrying head freely mounted on' said bearing and aligned to bear the lid against and over the mouth of the container in one position of the ram, means for revolving said support member with the head in said one position, a retractable lid crimping member, and a rotary shaft carrying members serving in sequence to actuate opera tion of said ram, to actuate said revolving means and to urge said crimping member against the edge of the lid during said revolving.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation in part section of a canning apparatus in the open position,

Figure 2 is the same in the partially closed position,

Figure 3 is the same in the closed position, and

" 2,875,566 C Pet nt M r- 3, 19

2 Figure 4 illustrates the relation between the can and the lid in the position of Figure 3.

- The same parts in the respective drawings are indicated by the same reference numerals.

The particular container illustrated in the drawings is a light sheet metal, cylindrical can 1 having an open mouth round which is an outwardly projecting lip 2. In thecan 1 is inserted a roll 3 of synthetic rubber sheet, the width of the roll 3 being slightly greater than the depth of the can 1 and the diameter of the roll 3 being slightly less than the diameter of the can 1 so that the roll 3 fits easily into the can 1 with one end projecting from the mouth. Furthermore, the volume of the material in the roll is substantially equal to but not more than the volume of the can 1.

' The can 1 is supported on a circular plate 4 having a recess 5 to receive the base of the can 1. The plate 4 is rigidly carried on the end of avertical shaft 6 capable of being revolved by a motor not shown.

, Mounted above the can 1 in alignment with the shaft 6 is the rod 7 of a vertically reciprocable, pneumatically operated ram indicated generally by R (the operating means not being shown). The ram could of course be operated hydraulically or by'any other suitable method. Ahead 8 is revolvably mounted on the lower end of rod 7; by means of roller bearings 9. A guide ring 10 is mounted outwardly and forwardly of the head 8 and is provided with a cut-away portion 11 whose function will be described later. The ring 10 is connected, by means of studs 12 only one of which is shown, to a support plate 13 which is loosely'located round the rod 7 and held by rods 14 only one of which is shown. The rods 14 are connected at the top to the rod 7 by means not shown and ensure that the plate 13 and ring 10 maintain a fixed position relative to the head 8. v p

The under surface of the head 8 is shaped in conformity with a deformable, thin metal lid 15 and can accordingly hold the lid 15 without any positive retaining means.

to the main framework 18 and is held at each end byan adjustable screw positioning device 19. An arm 20 is keyedto the shaft and carries a pin 21 on which is rotatably mounted a crimping wheel 22 having a peripheral groove 23. Two earns 24 and 25 are also keyed to the shaft 16. These cams are so aligned that, on rotation of the shaft 16, the cam 24 will actuate an electric switch 26, which is conventionally connected through relays to the motor (not shown) which revolves the shaft 6, and cam 25 will actuate an air control valve 27 which serves toactuate downward movement of the ram. A lever handle 28 is also keyed to the shaft 16 so that the latter can be rotated byhandr v The screw positioning devices 19 are adjusted so that the crimping wheel 22 is aligned with the lip 2 of the can 1. The arm 20 and the earns 24 and 25 are so positioned that rotation of the shaft 16 will, in sequence, acmate the valve 27 to lower the ram, actuate the switch 26 to revolve the shaft 6, and press the crimping wheel 22 towards the lip 2 of the can 1.

In operation of the machine, the parts are initially in the position shown in Figure l, the container is filled with the roll of rubber sheet in the manner described and placed in the recess 5, and the lid 15 is fitted over the under surface of the head 8. The lever handle 28 is then turned by the operator to rotate the shaft 16 sufficiently to bring the edge of the cam 25 against and to actuate the valve 27. This will cause the ram to be operated so that the rod 7 is forced downward. The head 8 will force the lid against the projecting portion of the roll 3 and deform the rubber downward into the can 1.

Figure 2 shows the relative position of the various parts Q? the mes ihr in an in al st e of this defo mation- The guide ring 10 serves at this stage to ensure that the can 1 is not moved out of alignment by reason of the stress given to the rubber.

When the rubber has all been forced into the can 1 and the d b o t w a a st he o h o the can 1, the lever handle is turned further until the edge of t e a 24 is u h a ainst n ac uatc he sw t h This will operate the motor (not shown) and revolve the shaft 6 and plate 4. Due to the compression between the plate 4 and head 8, the can 1 and head 8 will also be caused to revolve. The relative position of the various Pa t a th st e is s n in ig 3, w l i ure 4 sh ws e e t o be w t i an th p .2 a t s t The lever handle 28 is then turned further until the groove 23 of the wheel 22 is pressed towards the lip 2, which action will crimp the edge of the lid 15 round the lip 2 and the can 1 will then be sealed. The cutaway por 11 o th g i e ng 0 s rves to all w passage of the wheel 22 towards the lip 2.

The lever handle 28 is then returned to its initial position and this will retract the crimping wheel 22 stop the motor which revolves the shaft ,6, and stop the flow of air pressure to the ram. The ram with its rod 7 can be raised to its initial position by, for example, subjecting it to a counter air pressure, which may be automatically brought into operation by removal of the can 25 from the valve 27, or providing an automatic return spring. Such arrangements for the operation of rams are well known in the art and do not need description herein.

The nature of the sheet employed in the container walls will bear a relation to the density of the product, the handling and warehousing practices, and other normal considerations. Containers of 1.75 cubic foot capacity made of 29 gauge sheet or #25 electrolytic tin plate have been used with success. The nature of the crimping practice may also be varied considerably depending upon the requirements without departing from the scope of the invention.

It will be realized that the invention is suitable for packaging of rubber or any other resiliently deformable material. While it is preferred to pack the material in the form of rolled sheets, it is of course possible to pack the material in another form such as extruded rods. The resilient material should be in such form as to possess suifieient rigidity to support itself projecting outside the mouth of the container and suflicient deformability that it may be forced into the container.

It is suggested that the material itself is not generally compressed when forced into the container, except for local compressive stresses, but rather that it is deformed or, if air is trapped in the material or in recesses throughout the mass, such air may be compressed or displaced.

In the case of rubber-like materials it is realized that they may, for a considerable period after closing of the container, exert a pressure on the lid and for that reason the secure crimping of the edge of the lid round the mouth of the container is important. Such rubber-like materials normally possess in varying degree a property of cold flow familiar to those acquainted with such materials.

In stor e o an dura ion t vsett hs or flow 9 t e ma rial will ease the internal pressure and may even leave a small air space over the material. It is preferred to weigh the container and contents before closing and add or remove trimmings to achieve a uniform weight content in each can, both to facilitate invoicing and to ensure that the actual column of material does not exceed the volume of the container while so closely approximating such actual volume as to ensure support of the container walls after the material has completed the settling or flowing.

An important aspect of the present invention is that there need be no closely adjusted, direct relationship between the ram head and the crimping wheel such as has been found generally necessary with lid-holding chucks and crimping devices in previously known apparatus. Thus, in the present invention, the alignment of the crimping wheel is effected in relation to the fixed position of the lip round the mouth of the container and is not coordinated with the ram. In the closed container position of the apparatus, the ram need not be at its lowest potential limit of travel but may be prevented from further downward movement solely by the resistance exerted by the container and contents. This has been found possible despite the fact that the ram will often be such as to exert a total force of 3500-4500 pounds on the lid. A mechanical stop could of course be provided to take all or part of this force, but it has been found to be an unnecessary complication, involving .close adjustment.

The present application is a division of copending application Serial No. 351,623, filed April 28, 1953, now abandoned.

I claim:

A machine for closing the lid on a container having an outwardly projecting lip round the mouth, comprising a revolvable container support member, a ram, a bearing carried in said ram, a freely revolvable lid carrying head freely mounted on said bearing and aligned to bear the lid against and over the mouth of the container in one position of the ram, a container positioning guide ring concentrically mounted outside and forwardly of said head and reciprocally movable in conjunction with said head, means for revolving said support member with the head in the said one position, a revolvable lid crimping wheel having a peripheral groove aligned with said lip, an arm carrying said wheel, a rotary shaft carrying said arm, and two cams carried by said shaft and aligned respectively with means for actuating operation of said ram and means for actuating said revolving means, rotation .of said shaft and hence of said arm and said cams serving in sequence to actuate operation of said ram, to actuate said revolving means and to urge said groove against said lip to crimp the edge of the lid round said lip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,183,654 Krummel May 16, 1916 1,599,325 Garibaldi Sept. 7, 1926 2,527,885 Krueger Oct. 31, 1950 2,725,000 ONeil Nov. 29, 1955 

